FORD OUTDOORS: Be alert to deer hunting rules changes in Indiana

Hopefully, you noticed it's not yet firearms season for deer in Indiana.

Remember, deer hunting rules changed significantly for the 2012-13 season in Indiana, and one of the more noticeable tweaks was moving back the starting date this year.

Last year it came in two Saturdays before Thanksgiving. This year it is one or this Saturday (Nov. 17).

But even with that, Hoosier deer hunters will enjoy expanded opportunities in an effort to better balance deer populations with available habitat, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

"It's a matter of keeping deer in balance with what the habitat allows," said DNR deer biologist Chad Stewart in a release. "What we are doing now is managing the deer herd within the constraints of the land."

Some of the highlights of the rules changes include a special antlerless firearms season in late December, the use of a crossbow during a now continuous archery season and a deer license bundle.

That's a solid deal for residents at $65 and allows deer hunters to take two antlerless deer and one buck, regardless of the legal methods used. They're all allowed.

But the main thing hunters should do is simply read and reread the new rules. Make sure you're aware of what you can and can't do before a conservation officer informs you of and tickets you for an expensive violation.

Even with changes, mistakes simply shouldn't happen.

There are other common sense, ethical and legal considerations in the final buildup to the coming firearms season.

Do the Boy Scout thing and be prepared. It sounds so simple, but plenty of hunters will just head out the door early this Saturday morning without sighting in their firearm, checking their tree stand, making sure they have a safety harness and making sure they are woods legal with their hunter orange requirements, which even include ground blinds.

The ethical considerations include respecting another hunter's property by leaving tree stands where you find them and giving a wide berth to other hunters when you encounter them on public land.

There shouldn't be conflicts on private ground because all hunters are supposed to have permission to hunt there, but we all know a significant percentage don't bother with such details.

Respect no-trespassing or no-hunting signs and educate yourself on the boundaries of the areas you are allowed.

The absolute last consideration should always be to identify your target with 100 percent certainty.

Know what it is and what's behind it before you make a decision to squeeze off a shot.

Don't become the subject of a follow-up story on hunter safety because you discovered the horror of shooting another hunter.

Be safe and hunt well. Help the state out by establishing the fourth record harvest in five years. All we need is 134,005 deer.